Snowskin Mooncakes (Steaming Method)

Snowskin mooncake is a non-baked mooncake eaten chilled during Mid-Autumn Festival. It has a skin texture similar to mochi and the filling can be of the common ones like lotus paste or red bean paste to the exotic ones like durian paste.

My hubby love the traditional snowskin mooncake with the lotus paste or daoyung filling. Many years ago, I've been making the showskin mooncakes with kao fen/cooked glutinous rice flour and shortening. The recipe was great, it was easy to make and the taste was great too! But after a few rounds, i soon realized that the skin will start to dry up after the 3rd day.

So 2 years back, I tried a new recipe with steaming method. It was perfect because the skin was still soft on the 3rd day, and throughout the week. I hasn't got a chance to test the skin for longer than a week because it'll be all gone in our tummies before that! So, if you are making these mooncakes and they lasted more than a week, please let me know how's the texture ya!

Usually the mini mooncake weight at 50g each but mines are 55g each because I like the mooncakes to be taller. If you are using the same mold as mine, you can adjust the total weight in between 50g - 60g. I am using 25g filling with 30g dough. This distribution is just right for my hubby. But if you like to have more skin, then you can adjust accordingly.

Hope you'll enjoy my recipe!


MOONCAKE MOLD

This is the mooncake mold I am using. Just secure the design plate by twisting the handle. Usually each mold comes with 4 design plates and this cost me around RM10++ at a bakery supplies shop.

SNOWSKIN MOONCAKES (STEAMING METHOD)

Prep Time  : 60 mins
Cook Time : 15 mins
Total Time : 1 hour 15 mins (+3 hours resting)
Makes       : +/- 400g snowskin dough (approx. 13pcs mini mooncakes)

Ingredients:
70g glutinous rice flour
45g rice flour
25g wheat starch
60g castor sugar
220ml water
38g condensed milk
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp banana essence or essence of your choice

Filling
325g filling of your choice

Coating
3 Tbsp glutinous rice flour
1 pandan leave, cut into 3 - 4 sections

Directions:
1. For Coating : In a pan under low heat, stir-fry glutinous rice flour with pandan leave for approx. 5 mins. As you cook, the pandan leave will emit a nice aroma and this will enhance the smell of the cooked glutinous rice flour. The glutinous rice flour is done when you see that the pandan leave has dried up and turned slightly brown. There shouldn't be any raw flour smell. Dish up and set aside to cool completely.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, rice flour and wheat starch. Mix well and set aside until needed.

3. In another medium bowl, combine water, castor sugar and condensed milk. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in vegetable oil and essence of your choice.

4. Pour the liquid batter into the flour mixture and stir well until they are well combined. It should be a liquid batter with no lumps. If there are lumps, press it against the side of the bowl with your spatula to break it. (A few tiny lumps are acceptable)

5. Strain the batter into a shallow dish and steam for 15 - 20 mins until the dough is cooked. The dough is cooked when you can cut through the dough with a spatula and it comes out clean. Remove from steaming rack and let it cool for 5 minutes.

6. While the dough is still hot (not piping hot) and in the steaming dish, knead the dough with a spatula in folding motion until it becomes smooth and let the dough cool down completely. The dough may seems very oily at first but don't worry it wont be oily after kneading and cooled down.

7. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and put in refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours.

MOLDING THE MOONCAKES
8. Weight your filling by 25g each and your dough by 30g each. Shape them into balls and cover both ingredients with cling wrap to avoid drying up while you are working on them one by one.

9. Take a ball of dough and flatten it on your palm to form a circle (approx. 7 - 8 cm in diameter). The center should be thinner than the sides. Form a C-shape with your left hand and rest the flattened dough on the C-shape. Then place a ball of filling in the center of the dough, the ball of filling will gently slide into your C-shape hand with your thumb and index finger holding it. Then using your right hand gently push and pull the sides of the dough upward so that all edges will meet together. Seal all the edges together and gently shape into an oval ball. (Oval shape will be easier to fit into the mold later)

10. Coat the oval ball and the inside of the mooncake mold with cooked glutinous rice flour. Place the oval ball on your working mat with the thinner side facing the top. Gently lower the mold onto the oval ball and press the mooncake mechanism. Lift the mooncake mold up and press the mooncake mechanism to release the mooncake. Repeat with the rest of your dough. Keep the mooncakes in an airtight container and chill before consuming.

Notes:
● You may use kao fen/ cooked glutinous rice flour for coating.

● You may replace the water for any fruit juice, liquid flavor or color as you like.

● The dough will be very sticky. So it is best to work with disposable gloves when molding the mooncakes.

● These mooncakes are best to be eaten after chilled for a day. It can be kept in the refrigerator for upto a week.

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Rice Cooker Pandan Sponge Cake

I am beginning to fall in love with rice cooker cakes. They are always soft and moist. You can never over-baked a cake in a rice cooker, well... at least for me! Just keep a watch on your cake after the 35 minutes mark, once the skewer inserted came out clean, it's done!

If you've baked a pandan cake before, you will know that the pandan smell will fill your kitchen with a nice pandan aroma. It's the same with cooking in a rice cooker. The pandan smell filled my kitchen as soon as it started to cook in the rice cooker. Aside from the fragarnt pandan aroma, my kitchen was also filled with a soothing coconut smell. The smells will hit you first before you eat.

This pandan sponge cake is spongy, soft and moist. It's a perfect cake to pair with a nice hot milk coffee! Yumm... I took a video to show you guys on the texture. Please excuse my clumsiness with trying to peel with one hand (I was holding the camera with the other hand).


Enjoy my recipe!

RICE COOKER PANDAN SPONGE CAKE
(Recipe adapted from Kitchen101)

Prep Time  : 20 mins
Cook Time : 50 mins
Total Time : 1 hour 10 mins
Makes       : One 8" cake

Ingredients:
5 eggs
120g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
130g sugar
50ml coconut milk
30ml water
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 - 10 pcs pandan leaves
Butter for coating

Directions:
You will need a rice cooker bowl (approx. 8"), coat bottom and sides generously with butter.

1. Sift baking powder and cake flour into a bowl. Set aside until needed.

2. Blend 30ml water with pandan leaves. Strain and squeeze out the juice, measure 20ml of pandan water. Set aside until needed.

3. Separate the egg whites from the yolk. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Then gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peak. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.

4. In another mixing bowl, combine pandan water, coconut milk, vegetable oil and half of the previously sieved flour mixture. Mix well using a whisk.

5. Add in 1/3 of the egg batter into the flour batter, and whisk gently to combined. Add in the other half of the previously sieved flour mixture, and again whisk gently to combined. When everything is well combined, add in the rest of the egg batter and using a whisk, mix well in a fold motion. Lastly using a spatula, get to the bottom of the batter and fold to mix evenly.

6. Pour batter into the rice cooker bowl and drop the bowl from a height on the kitchen countertop to release large air bubbles. Do it a few times.

7. Cook batter for 40 - 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted came out clean.

8. To Unmould: When done, let it rest in the rice cooker bowl for a few minutes. The cake would slightly shrink, making it to detach itself from all sides. If some parts are still sticking, gently tilt the cake to the opposite side so that the weight of the cake would pull itself away from the sides. After that, you may turn the rice cooker bowl upside down, with a wire rack to catch it at the bottom. Leave to cool before slicing the cake.

Notes:
● I am using a 5.5cup (uncooked) rice cooker. The base of the rice cooker bowl is approx. 8".

● By using a whisk during mixing in Step 5, it will help to reduce the deflation of the egg batter.

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Rice Cooker Honey Cake

...partially steamed in rice cooker, the cake turned out to be really moist and soft...

Would you believe me if I told you that this cake is made from rice cooker? Yes, it is! My hubby was so surprised that a rice cooker could bake such a nice cake. I, myself, I knew a rice cooker could bake cake but I thought it wouldn't be as good as those baked ones from the oven. But it turned out to be just as good, if not better! Because it was partially steamed in the rice cooker, the cake turned out to be really moist and soft. The texture is fine like cheesecake except that it has a subtle taste of honey which lingers in your mouth for quite some time after eating. If you love honey, you are going to love this cake!

Remember to coat the rice cooker bowl generously with butter. If your rice cooker bowl is still in good condition with no scratches, your cake will turn out to be beautiful with nice smooth shinny skin.

Hope you'll enjoy my recipe!

RICE COOKER HONEY CAKE

Prep Time  : 20 mins
Cook Time : 40 mins
Total Time : 1 hour
Makes       : One 8" cake

Ingredients:
5 eggs
120g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp milk
2 TTbsp vegetable oil
Butter for coating

Directions:
You will need a rice cooker bowl (approx. 8"), coat bottom and sides generously with butter.

1. Sift baking powder and cake flour into a bowl. Set aside until needed.

2. Separate the egg whites from the yolk. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Then gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peak. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.

3. Off the mixer, add in vanilla extract, honey, milk and vegetable oil. Continue beating the batter until everything fully combined. Add in the previously sifted cake flour and baking powder, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until well mixed.

4. Pour batter into the rice cooker bowl and drop the bowl from a height on the kitchen countertop to release large air bubbles. Do it a few times.

5. Cook batter for 35-40 minutes, or until skewer inserted came out clean.

6. To Unmould: When done, let it rest in the rice cooker bowl for a few minutes. The cake would slightly shrink, making it to detach itself from all sides. If some parts are still sticking, gently tilt the cake to the opposite side so that the weight of the cake would pull itself away from the sides. After that, you may turn the rice cooker bowl upside down, with a wire rack to catch it at the bottom. Leave to cool before slicing the cake.

Notes:
● I am using a 5.5cup (uncooked) rice cooker. The base of the rice cooker bowl is approx. 8".

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3-Ingredient Steamed Sponge Cake

This steamed sponge cake is also known as Kai Dan Kou. The original recipe is from my hubby's late grandma (Ah Mah) - 1 bowl egg, 1 bowl sugar and 1 bowl flour. In Chinese families, our elderly usually don't have the exact measurements. It is always "agak-agak" which means "more or less". And most of the time, they will use bowls to determine the recipe.

According to everyone in my hubby's family, they said Ah Mah make the best Kai Dan Kou. She would use a spring whisk to whisk a bucket of eggs until fluffy and airy, and then steam a big tray of Kai Dan Kou for everyone at home. How I wish I have the chance to witness it and enjoy her Kai Dan Kou!

Well, right now, I can only try to recreate her Kai Dan Kou. Since I don't have a spring whisk, I use a hand mixer instead. The taste and texture wise is good and almost the same as Ah Mah's, according to my hubby. He said that the inside should have more holes, mine is too refined.

Initially, I wanted to name this recipe as "Traditional/ Ah Mah's Kai Dan Kou". But since it is still lacking of something (compared to Ah Mah's Kai Dan Kou), I couldn't bring myself to name it that way. So instead, I am naming this recipe as "Steamed Sponge Cake".

This sponge cake is the easiest I've ever make. It only requires 3 ingredients and cooking time only 15 minutes. The texture comes out to be really fluffy, soft and moist. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

3-INGREDIENT STEAMED SPONGE CAKE

Prep Time  : 20 mins
Cook Time : 15 mins
Total Time : 35 mins
Makes       : one 8" cake

Ingredients:
4 eggs
90g sugar
100g cake flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:
You will need a round 8" cake tin, line sides and bottom with parchment paper.

1. Prepare the wok for steaming.

2. Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat eggs till frothy. Gradually add in sugar and increase speed to medium. After 5 mins, increase speed to high and beat for another 10 mins, until the batter is thick and has quadrupled in volume.

2. Add in cake flour, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat the batter as you add. Lastly add in vanilla extract (optional) and mix till combined.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and steam on high heat for 15 mins. The cake is done when the skewer inserted came out clean.

Notes:
● You will need to steam the batter immediately after pouring into the cake tin. So make sure to prepare the steaming wok and have the water boiling first.

● Adding the vanilla extract will help to reduce the eggy smell.

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Homemade Boba Pearls/ Tapioca Pearls

I am super excited to be posting this recipe. I can't believe that I've actually succeeded in making a nice and chewy boba pearls at home. Didn't know that it was this easy!

...tea-based drink invented in Tainan and Taichung in the1980s...

Boba Milk Tea or Pearl Milk Tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Tainan and Taichung in the 1980s. Toppings are usually boba pearls/ tapioca pearls (that's how it got its name), grass jelly, fruit jelly, agar jelly and pudding. Even tho' it is mostly served cold, ice-blended version is also available at some shops.

You may have notice that my boba pearls are not as black as the usual ones. That is because of the sugar used. I should be using dark brown sugar but I couldn't find any dark brown sugar, so I've used mixture of light brown sugar with molasses.

Once I started on this Boba Project, I was so obsessed with it. I couldn't rest until I have perfected the recipe. If you search in the internet for boba pearls recipe, you will find a few. The ingredients used are more or less the same - tapioca starch, brown sugar and water. But the method used are all different. Believe me if I said I've tried all the methods.

And With some tweaking here and there, I've finally found my perfect recipe. This recipe is easy and yield the closest texture to the boba pearls I've tasted. Hope you guys will enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Happy trying!

HOMEMADE BOBA PEARLS/ TAPIOCA PEARLS
(Recipe adapted from Bizarre Island and Amanda Tastes)

Prep Time  : 50 mins
Cook Time : 27 mins
Total Time : 1 hour 17 mins
(+15 mins steeping)
Makes       : 1 1/2 cup pearls

Ingredients:
80g + 10g tapioca starch
4 Tbsp dark brown sugar (see note below)
50ml hot water
Extra tapioca starch for dusting
Extra 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar for coating/ as lubricant

Directions:
1. In a small pot, add hot water and brown sugar together and mix until the brown sugar dissolved. Then, add in 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch and mix well to get a tapioca starch slurry.

2. Bring the pot on low heat and stir continuously until you get a sticky paste. Once it has reached the sticky paste consistency, turn off the heat. Add in the rest of the tapioca starch and stir vigorously to combined until you get a soft sticky dough. It is fine if there are still some tapioca starch on the surface of the dough.

3. Transfer the soft sticky dough onto a parchment paper and knead for a few minutes until it becomes a shiny dough. The dough now is still abit sticky. Add in 10g tapioca starch in 4-5 batches and knead to form a soft dough.

4. To shape the pearls, roll out the dough to approx. 0.3cm thick. Cut out horizontal and vertical lines to get small squares. Roll each square into tiny balls/pearls. Remember to coat your bowl with some tapioca starch before putting your pearls in it.

5. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in the pearls to the boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent the pearls from sticking together at the bottom.

6. When all the pearls floated on surface, close the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, off the heat and let the pearls steep in the hot water for 15 minutes. Do not open the lid.

7. Drain the pearls and soak in cold water for a minute or less until they are warm to touch. Transfer to a bowl, add 3 tablespoons brown sugar and mix evenly to coat. The brown sugar will melt almost immediately and act as a lubricant.

Notes:
● Dark brown sugar substitute : Mix 2 tablespoon light brown sugar with 2 tablespoons molasses/ gula merah.

● You need to work fast in Step 2 and Step 3. Work on the dough while it is still hot/ warm.

● Step 3 : I find it easier to work with the dough on a parchment paper. You can use it to protect your hand from the hot dough. And it also acts as a cover for the dough while shaping the boba pearls.

● The cooked boba pearls need to be consumed within the day of cooking. The texture will be hard if kept in refrigerator.

● Keep the uncooked pearls in a zipper bag or air-tight container in freezer for upto 2-3 months. When you want to use it, take it out from the freezer to the boiling water.

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